I GET ASK THIS ALL THE TIME "IS THE FACE PAINTING FREE " OR I'LL BE AT A FAIR OR FESTIVAL THAT I PAID TO GET IN AS A VENDOR AND THEY HAVE SOME SCHOOL KIDS OR CHURCH KIDS PAINTING FACES WITH THAT STUFF FROM WALMART OR CRAFT PAINT FOR FREE MAKES ME CRAZY ....... SO HOW DO I ASK THE PEOPLE PUTTING ON THE EVENT NOT TO LET FREE "FACE PAINTERS" PAINT BECAUSE IT TAKES AWAY FROM BUSINESS ..... PLEASE HELP .....

I'm not sure how to deal with the event manager, but I can tell you what I've learned over the past few years in regards to the subject. I was 21 when I opened my business so many people thought I was one of the volunteer teenagers doing face painting. I had a very hard time getting people to want to pay me because they did not view what I was doing as a job. I changed how I dressed to start looking more "business casual". I went from carrying my paint in a backpack to investing in a fatmax. I started putting money into making the "face" of my business have a professional appearance. I know there are some people that say "it doesn't need to be fancy", but I disagree. When I hire any professional for anything, I look for signs of professionalism. A well put together website, nice business cards, clean equipment. All of those things go a long way in helping people view what you do as a profession and helps to easily distinguish you from craft painters. When people see my set-up, they say "Wow! You must have been doing this for a long time!". With my old set-up, every mom on earth tried to get me to teach them how to do what I do. Nothing is full proof and you will always have those "special people", but changing the look of my business has significantly changed what people's initial reaction to me is. Shannon Fennel has some great photos of her set-up. The literature she provides alone, shows her clients that she knows what she's doing. Not to mention the car wrap! There's no one on the planet that would see her car wrap and not realize she's a professional!

Such good advice WM. If it does not look like it could be free, fewer people will ask, but their will always be a few who ask.

As for the free painters, start asking the event planners when you sign up if there will be any free face painting at the event, and if there will be, tell them that you would rather not pay a booth rental fee for an event if they will allow someone to give away an identical product for free, but you will contact them next year to see if you can buy a booth. Put it in terms of what they are loosing.

Many vendor applications require that the we disclose all the products that we will sell or give away, so you will know at the onset if the event planner has access to this information or not. If there is no disclosure, you kind of take yoru chances. Sometimes you can get the event coordinator to shut the volunteers down if you are nice about it and tell them that you would regeretfully not be able to rent another booth next year if you can't do a good business...many will help you out to keep you coming back because you are the draw, not the highschool kid with tempra paints.

On the other hand, if you have vetted your festivals well, you are choosing from those with good foot trafic, and very busy festivals can carry more than one face painter without it cutting into anyone's busisness. At some point, you will work a fair where you realize that the crappy cheek art being done for free actually makes your painting more desireable. I have wiped off a lot of bad hearts, flowers, and hello kitties to do a full face that the child really wanted. I don't worry about the free ones so much anymore, unless they are in a good location or too close to me. People who pay for face painting will still pay for it, if the free stuff stinks. Now, when the free stuff is good...that takes me straight to the event coordinator!

I am with WM, there is somthing to be said for branding in this day an age. Although My previous set up worked I changed spent money (that i would rather have put into product) on cases, carry items, banners etc list gos on. I stipulate that I will not work at an event with free face painting outright and used to send a link to my facebook page, now it is too my website.

While I completely agree with WM, I also think free facepainting is becoming more common. I've heard a mom say to her kid "You can get painted for free on Tuesday at Chik-fil-A" and walk on by. I think Metina once talked about how important it is that if you are being paid to paint for free that you make it known that your time was paid for by someone. Free Face Painting Sponsored by XYZ Company.

Yes, if I'm hired by a company to paint their customers, they have a sign made that says sponsored by such and such company If a someone asks if it's free, I just say the company is paying me, but I do accept tips, too

I've face painted against free face painting often & it's really not hurt my business. I even painted a few weeks back to find one of my own churches campuses was painting for free w/ junk paint. I told them next time to have me work next to them All the arguing & debating in the world won't change the fact that organizers will allow junk painting. I work well w/ the organizers & just try to get a good name with them. If they like you they are more likely to look out for your interest(they want you back because you're easy to work with). Also, they will share your info w/ other great festivals. I face painted my organizers face as a zombie at my last festival & I may have an in w/ a week long county fair because one lady just loves me!